Whether you want cheese dip for your pretzels for an October fest party, or you’re craving nachos for the big game, this dip is nostalgic to the ‘cheese’ nachos that you’ll find at big stadium events. While we’ve all probably moved on from those good/bad snacks, we all probably still crave them from time to time (admit it!). This Cheese Dip will make you feel better about craving that little plastic tray full of nachos. It blends the beloved sharp Prairie Breeze Cheddar with the tangy Portuguese Casa de Mendevil, to create a silky cheesy dip that tastes great, and won’t make you feel bad for enjoying. This is a looser dipping sauce, so it will not coagulate when cooled, making it ‘dipable’ for the whole game! Mix up a batch of this for the weekend and you’ll think you’re in the stadium, sitting right at the 50 yard line. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons butter

• 1/3 cup diced tomato

• 1/3 cup diced onion

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1/4 cup flour

• 1 cup half and half

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 1/4 pound Prairie Breeze, shredded (1 cup)

• 1/4 pound Casa de Mendevil, shredded (1 cup)

Items with an asterisk can be found at The Cheese Shop of Salem!

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Stir in the onion, tomato, paprika and cayenne.  Continue to sauté until onion and tomato are soft, about 10 minutes.  

2. Add the flour to the pan.  Stir until ingredients resemble a loose paste and cook for about 10 minutes. 

3. Add the half and half, and buttermilk.. Continue to simmer for about 5 minutes, reduce heat to low and add in the cheese, stirring until melted.  Off of the heat, blend cheese sauce with an immersion blender until sauce is smooth.  

Keeps up to 2 weeks, refrigerated in an airtight container.  

Yield:   2 cups